


Loose Lips

by pandorabox82



Category: Criminal Minds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-18
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-01-25 15:24:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1653404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandorabox82/pseuds/pandorabox82
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Penelope has long known that the best office gossip came from the most unlikely source - one Aaron Hotchner. He tells her things that no one else knows, and she keeps them to herself, knowing that some things are better left unsaid. Can her friendship with him lead to a happy ending for everyone at the BAU?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A soft rapping on her office door had her looking out to see who was standing there. "Hey, Hotch. Did you just get back from the case in Tulsa?"

He nodded as he stepped inside and closed the door. "We did."

"And how did it go?" she asked, eyeing him up and down.

"It went. We had a bit of drama in the group, though. Reid's girlfriend called to tell him that their relationship was over. He was quite inconsolable, and it really threw off the balance of the team. But do you want to know something really interesting?"

She nodded, knowing that he always had the best news to tell her, knowing that she could keep her lips closed. "Do tell."

"The real reason that he was so upset was that he wanted to be the one to break things off with her. He had told me that Serena was getting too clingy for him, that he knew that wasn't really true love, despite what she had told him."

She nodded, sipping from her coffee mug. "And how's my sweet Jayje doing?"

He paused, blushing faintly, and she grinned, knowing that she had thrown him off balance. "Her and Will are working things out. Or at least, that's what she told me. I sort of spaced out after she said that Will had sent her a bouquet of peonies the other day. Those aren't even her favorite flowers, and she acted like it was the best thing to happen to her since sliced bread. Honestly, I wish he would treat her a little better."

"Like you would?" The question struck the right nerve and he nodded just a tiny bit before shaking his head vigorously.

"No, she's in love with Will, and I'm with Beth. For the moment. Did I tell you that she texted me the other day, calling me the wrong name? I didn't want to say anything, but, well, I don't think the long distance relationship is working all that well. Which is a shame, since Jack was really starting to like her."

"These things happen, though, hun." Reaching out, she rubbed his arm lightly. "Maybe it would be better to pronounce the relationship DOA."

He nodded a little. "Perhaps. Thanks for listening to me, Penelope. I'm glad that I have a good friend like you."

"Any time you need to let your hair down, you know where to come." She led him out and scanned the bullpen, looking for her sweet genius. Morgan was leaning against his desk and they were wrapped in an intense conversation. Shaking her head, she gazed over at Hotch's office and saw that his aloof, professional, mask was back in place, now that he had let go of the latest secret in his arsenal.

When he had first come to her with the latest gossip, she had hardly believed he was serious. That wasn't how she had ever pictured him being. Then he went on to tell her that he had used to tell all his gossip to Haley, even when they had split, since she knew the players on the board, but not well enough to run and tell on him. In that moment, she had found that he was lonely for a listening ear and she promised him then and there that she would always be there for him.

He looked up from his paperwork, giving her a tiny nod before bending back down and writing furiously. Smiling, she shook her head and climbed down the stairs, joining Derek and Reid. "Hey, Reid, how are things?"

He looked up at her, a frown marring his usually happy countenance. "Serena called things off while we were out in Oklahoma. I don't know why she did it first, I was going to do it when we got home. She just wasn't what I pictured her to be. And I know that I wanted to go this route, to fall in love for someone's personality rather than their looks, but, I guess I don't know how to explain this without sounding shallow."

"You made a picture of her in your head and when you saw her for the first time, she didn't fit that picture, did she?"

He shook his head. "And I really thought we'd get somewhere, what with being put into mortal danger for her and all. This being in love business really sucks."

"Tell me about it, kid." Derek slung his arm around Penelope's waist, drawing her close. "And it will until you find that perfect girl who's willing to overlook all your flaws and trust issues and love you anyway."

Penelope bit her lip to keep from crying. They hadn't really made their relationship official to the team yet, and so that sweet acknowledgment of them made her heart sing. "Aw, thanks, Sugar. I love you, too." She rested her head on his chest, smiling at Erin as she stepped inside the bullpen, making a beeline for Rossi's office. She was surprised that they were still going strong all these months later, since Rossi had a notorious reputation for being the love 'em and leave 'em type.

"So, any idea how much longer that's going to last?" Reid asked, looking up at the now closed door. Penelope shrugged a little, wondering what bug had bitten him. "They're so happy together. It just isn't right."

There was something weirdly wistful to his tone and Penelope wondered what really was bothering the young doctor. "Why isn't it right, hun?"

"I don't know. She, she," he stammered, blushing deeply, "she deserves better." He said the last bit in a rush, not looking at either of them. "Come on, you can't tell me that he hasn't treated her shabbily recently. And she just sticks with him. I don't get it."

Morgan shrugged. "Some women like that treatment, kid. And sometimes, they feel like it's all they deserve. But if she's happy, shouldn't we just leave well enough alone?"

Reid didn't look at them, instead staring at the desktop. "I suppose. It still seems like a raw deal for her, though." Sighing, he pulled a thick file from the top of his stack. "I need to get to work on these, though, if I'm going to finish Morgan's work, too."

They all laughed a little, though Penelope was still preoccupied with Reid's reaction. She wondered if it had something to do with the common bond that Erin and he shared. She knew that they had spoken about their addictions with each other, shared things that no one else in the BAU knew. That was to be expected, though, as normally Reid and Erin were the most private of them all. And the hardest to read.

Sighing, she tugged on Derek's shirt lightly. "Come on up to my office, Sugar Bear. I need your hands to help me out."

"All right, all right," he said, a teasing tone in his voice. She shook her head before lightly patting Reid's shoulder. "Let me guess, you need an extra pair of hands to help you change out components to Persephone."

"Very good, I'm teaching you well." They turned and she led him up to her office. "I need your muscle to help me move things in there. Kevin was always so useless when it came to things like this, you know. Even if I did love him for a time."

"He lost a good thing, you know."

"We just couldn't make it work, even with that second go round. Now, I need you to crawl under the desk and pull out this computer system…"


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Baby Girl, we're finally home, and what I want to know is if you're coming out with us for drinks. Strauss even agreed to be our DD tonight."

Penelope looked up from her computer screen, a wide smile crossing her lips. "That sounds like fun, Sugar. Just let me get these searches saved for tomorrow and then I can be out of here." She went back to her work, bookmarking a few websites and then shut down her system for the evening. After that was finished, she pulled her purse out of her desk and then slipped her arm into his.

"So, heard the latest gossip?" he asked as they stepped into the hallway.

"No, my source has been a little quiet as of late. Must be there's not anything interesting happening around the office."

"Oh, I just thought maybe you had heard if Hotch and Jayje were going out. After the Replicator was caught, it appeared as if things were going to head in that direction."

She shook her head, thinking back to the last conversation that she and Hotch had had. "Well, I suppose I could let you in on some intel that I was supposed to keep under wraps for a few more weeks. We do have a new couple in the BAU."

"I knew it! Hotch and JJ are so hooking up!"

She smiled as she shook her head. "That is not the answer, Der. Unfortunately, I have been sworn to secrecy for the time being." She pulled open her drawer and grabbed her purse, biting her lip. There was also the slight fact that Hotch had specifically told her not to reveal anything about the fact that Anderson and Kevin were now an item.

"Come on! I so know that they are knocking boots!" he whined as he led her out of her office and down into the bullpen. She shook her head as she took stock of who was milling about. Blake was on her phone, probably talking to her husband, while JJ and Hotch were huddled together by Erin. The woman was smiling sadly, an arm around her stomach, and Penelope wondered what was wrong.

She led Derek over to the trio, and Erin met her gaze, her eyes red-rimmed. "Hey, I heard you were going to be our designated driver tonight! Thanks for agreeing to come along, I know you probably have better things to do, but…"

"I wanted to be part of the team. You all did so much to make sure I was all right, after Curtis had kidnapped me, that I want to do this small thing for you." Her smile never quite reached her eyes and Penelope sighed sadly, opening her arms.

Wordlessly, Erin stepped into them, letting Penelope hug her tightly for a moment before stepping away from her. Penelope and Hotch shared a look as they waited for the others to join them, and Penelope couldn't help but notice the way Spencer's mouth tightened with displeasure as Rossi slipped his arm around Erin's waist, pulling her possessively to his side. "Well, what are we waiting for? Christmas?" he asked brashly before lightly tapping Erin's hip.

Penelope could almost have sworn that she heard Spencer growl, and she shook her head at him before making her way over to the elevators. This seemed to indicate that that rest of the group should follow her, and she ended up in the car between Hotch and Spencer. Looking over at the younger man, she frowned a little before stepping up on her tiptoes and whispering in her boss's ear. "We so need to do something about Reid when we get to the bar."

"Got it," he whispered back before settling his arm around her waist, like it was the most natural thing in the world. She giggled and shook her head, glancing at Derek to make certain he understood there was nothing going on between them. From the bemused smile he was wearing, Penelope knew that they were fine and she grinned at him, shrugging a little.

Penelope found herself content to listen to the voices talking around her, though her gaze was constantly drawn to Erin and Rossi. There was something stiff about their posture, and she wondered what was going on there. And then, she was caught out by Alex, and she flushed a little as the woman smiled at her. Alex gestured between the two of them, and Penelope nodded, knowing that she was going to be pulled aside once they reached the bar.

The moment they stepped out of the elevator, Derek took hold of her hand and led her over to his truck. "Is there anything that you want to talk about while we're alone?"

"I think that Spencer was right about Rossi and Erin. There is something seriously funky going on there, and while I want to meddle, I don't know if I should. I don't want to end up hurting her, you know?"

He nodded and pulled out into traffic. "The best piece of advice I can give you is to get closer to her. Be the friend that she needs right now, and maybe she'll turn to you and ask for advice. Until that happens, do not offer advice, okay?"

"Yeah, Boo, I hear you." She fell quiet once more and watched the scenery pass by. The moment they entered the bar, Hotch took hold of her hand and led her up to the bartender. "Are we getting the first round or something?"

"No, I have news for you. I rode over here with Dave and Erin, and let us just say that there is serious trouble in paradise there. To the point where I was almost certain Erin was going to pull the car over and order Dave out."

"Ooh, that is most excellent gossip, Aaron! And I know exactly the person to go whispering it to. If you don't mind…?"

"That would be fine, Penny. I just want to see her happy, after everything that she went through."

"Oh, tell me about that, Aaron. She deserves nothing but the best." She finally caught the eye of the bartender and ordered a pitcher of beer and two fruity non-alcoholic drinks for her and Erin. Hotch, in turn, ordered a whisky neat for Rossi, and then they were heading over to where the team was sitting, having pulled together a few tables. Thankfully, Spencer was at the end of the table, Alex at his side, and she grinned at them as she took the free seat. "Hey!"

"It is a good thing you got here. Help me talk Spence out of killing Dave."

She glanced at him, arching her eyebrow. "Maybe I want to help him hide the body," she pithily replied, watching him grin. "But, I do have some news that should make you happy, Spencer! There is officially trouble in paradise. Now is your chance to make a move."

"I don't like her like that," he protested, and she darted her eyes over at Alex, seeing the slight roll there. That look alone told her that maybe there were feelings that Spencer had talked to her about, secrets that she knew, and no one else did. "I mean it! She just needs someone worthy of her, someone who can match her intelligence and drive. Rossi treats her horridly," he hissed, glaring at Alex.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that, Spence," Alex drolly said as she accepted the mug of beer from the server. Penelope took her glass and sipped, relishing the sweet taste of peaches. "But, Penelope, where are you getting your intel from?"

"I have my sources, and I will go to the grave with their names in my brain and not on my lips," she tartly said before sipping at her drink once more. Looking down the table, she saw Erin smile as she took her drink, sniffing it slightly before taking a small drink. Their eyes met, and Erin gave her a tiny smile. Hotch and Derek were right, she definitely had to get closer to the woman and find out how to make her happy.


End file.
